


Sacrosanct

by AMidnightDreary



Series: Whumptober 2019 [5]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Unspecified Setting, mascara alert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-12-07 17:08:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20979401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AMidnightDreary/pseuds/AMidnightDreary
Summary: Tony sees Loki fall.





	Sacrosanct

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is very rough, but I'm very tired and didn't manage anything better, so here, have some pain! 
> 
> The lyrics are from the song "Hunger" by Florence + The Machine.
> 
> **Day 10:** Unconscious

_ How could anything bad ever happen to you? You make a fool of death with your beauty, and for a moment... _

Tony sees Loki fall. No, that's not exactly true - what he sees is Loki being  _ tossed away _ , discarded like a crumpled piece of paper, like something small and useless. Something insignificant. 

_ That isn't Loki _ , is the first thing that crosses Tony's mind, because it can't be. Loki can't be beaten like that. He can't be beaten  _ at all. _ The list of Loki's abilities is so long that it's almost ridiculous, and after knowing and loving him for years, Tony has come to the conclusion that Loki is… sacrosanct. Untouchable.  _ Invincible. _

He is so incredibly beautiful, for one thing. That alone is ridiculous. With his raven hair and vibrant eyes, and his sharp smiles and careful touches, Loki is  _ timeless. _ It doesn't matter how often he gets hurt, it doesn't matter how many people want his death, Loki is always - he's always there. He always comes back, always. (He promised Tony that.) Tony looks at him and sees a life that can't possibly come to an end, no matter how many millennia it already lasted.

He still sees Loki fall.

Thanos is distracted. Tony doesn't know who is distracting him, and he doesn't particularly care. He's already at Loki's side, staring at a limb and unmoving body that can't be Loki's but  _ is _ Loki's, even though Loki doesn't just stay on the ground like this. Loki always gets back on his feet.

"Loki," Tony says, on his knees now. His hands on Loki's chest. His suit retreats just so he can dig his numb fingers into the leather of Loki's jacket. "Baby, hey -  _ hey. _ "

He sees the marks on Loki's neck, swollen bruises in that look like handprints, and his sight blurs. 

Tony protects the people he loves. That's just what he does, what he always tries to do. But it's nice, in a way, to know that the one he loves the most doesn't need his protection. Between the two of them, it's always Tony who is in greater danger, it's always Tony who is fragile. And after battles, it's always Loki who says, _You have_ _to be more careful_, and, _I can't lose you._

Tony was never scared of losing Loki to death. He's always been scared of losing Loki because of other things - boredom, mostly, or wanderlust. But death? No. Loki is a  _ god _ . Death doesn't reach him easily. And so, for once in his life, Tony allowed himself to  _ be protected _ rather than the opposite.

Loki's skin is turning blue. 

Tony's eyes follow the process. His fingertips trace the line of Loki's jaw as the color changes. He doesn't understand what it means, though, because ut can't possibly mean  _ that. _

"Loki," he says again. "Lokes, this isn't - funny, okay? You have to wake up. We have to - "

He trails off. His eyes are burning and suddenly they are also wet, and he can't see anything anymore. Someone calls his name, but he can't move, either. Loki's eyes are red now. Tony holds onto him, shakes him, pulls him into his lap and talks - anything,  _ anything _ to make Loki move. 

Loki stays still, and cold. He doesn't come back, even though he  _ promised. _ He promised. It echoes in Tony's head, that promise, and he hears all the whispered words, the  _ You have to be more careful _ and the  _ I can't lose you _ , and Tony wasn't there to protect him. He should have been, Tony  _ always _ protects the people he loves, why not - why not Loki, too? Why not him? Death reaches everyone all too easily, Tony  _ should have known.  _

He knows it, now that it's too late. (He'll never forget it again.)

_ … I forget to worry. _


End file.
